The Henslow’s Sparrow Conservation Action Plan Workshop was hosted at Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Minnesota, March 7-8.  Twenty-two people, representing the United States Geological Survey, state conservation agencies, universities, and various programs within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service attended the workshop.

The purpose of the workshop was to receive input from concerned stakeholders for developing a comprehensive Henslow’s Sparrow Conservation Action Plan.  A plan is being developed as part of a new program called the “Focal Species Strategy for Migratory Birds”. 

This strategy was initiated as a way to better measure the Service’s success in achieving its bird conservation priorities and mandates by linking conservation activities to measurable outcomes.  As part of the strategy, the Service identified 139 species of management concern that are to receive increased attention over the short term. 

Included on this list was the Henslow’s Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii) which is a Partners in Flight (PIF) watch list species and a state endangered species in many states across its breeding range.

The first day of the workshop began with background information on why the workshop was organized and was followed by listing the workshop objectives.  Researchers and biologists from both the breeding and wintering range then made presentations that included information on population status, recent studies, threats, and other related information. 

The remainder of the first day was spent discussing what the population objectives should be for the plan, research and monitoring priorities, and conservation strategies on both the breeding and wintering range.  Participants then listed what they felt were the “top three conservation actions” for advancing Henslow’s Sparrow conservation. 

Tom Will, workshop facilitator, summarized the responses and ranked them based on the number of respondents who listed similar actions.

Day two started with a summary of the “top three conservation actions” from day one.  High priority breeding ground action items included:  1) maintaining support for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP); 2) assessing the use of habitat protected under different programs; and 3) developing best management practices (BMP) for CRP grasslands. High priority items for the wintering grounds included: 1) better delineating winter distribution; 2) increasing the use prescribed burning to maintain longleaf pine savanna; and 3) further investigating connectivity between wintering and breeding grounds.  The actions were further discussed and expanded upon during the remainder of the workshop.  

At the conclusion of the workshop, working groups were formed for the breeding and wintering range.  The working groups will refine the actions identified at the workshop.  Once a draft plan  is completed (˜ June 2007) it will be shared with workshop participants and others to review and provide comments for inclusion in the final plan.  The tentative completion date for the plan is October 2007.  If you have any questions or would like a full summary of the workshop, please contact Tom Cooper at  tom_cooper@fws.gov.